Are You Getting The Most Out Of Your Membership?

 

The AFM works hard, both on a national level and in Des Moines, to benefit its members who play casual gigs.  Local 75 sponsors or refers well over 100 gigs each year – from solo acts to string quartets to big bands to the Des Moines Municipal Band.  We advertise in the Des Moines and Ames Yellow Pages, we have a redesigned web site, we’re in the Salisbury House brochure, its partner online wedding planning site, and other media - marketing is our single largest expenditure.  We offer all our members space on the Local 75 web site dmmusicians.com.  A lot of you haven’t taken advantage of this benefit!  More and more, consumers are purchasing music services online.  This is especially true of younger consumers.  They expect a group to have an online presence – and with pictures and sound clips.  We provide that online presence for you, with enough storage for your photo and samples – and of course, it’s included in your membership.  If you haven’t sent in your promotional information, go to dmmusicians.com/profile.htm and follow the instructions – it’s easy.  (At least 75% of your regular core group must be AFM members for your group to appear on the site and receive first referral status.)

How about a free web site for your group?  Got that covered too – just click on the GoPro button of the AFM web site at afm.org. (And while you’re there, if you’ve never been on the Members page, just click on the Members Register Here button and you’ll be assigned a user name on the spot.  Then you can choose your password and log right in.  This is also the place where you can download and print AFM contracts for your use.)

Other Benefits

While we provide recommendations when asked, we refer the kind of music that our customers request.  If you’re not satisfied with your referrals (are you on the web site?), there are still a huge number of benefits available to you.  Often overlooked are AFM and AFL-CIO discount programs on a wide range of products and services.  They can be found on the Members page at afm.org, and at unionmembersweb.com.  Cars, internet access, mortgages, credit cards, loans, flowers, boats, RVs, computers, legal services, long distance, musical instrument and supplemental medical insurance, car rental, travel, theme parks – your membership can easily pay for itself if you take advantage of these programs (people ought to join for this if they don’t even play an instrument!)  And then there’s the ROADGIG assistance program for traveling musicians, Local 75

                                                        

Are You Getting The Most Out Of Your Membership? (continued)

small claims court services, the International Musician, the musician forums (also on the AFM website), lobbying for musicians (nationally and locally), the Music Performance Fund, special protections for recording musicians ... those are a lot of reasons to purchase or renew your membership!  Please call the Local at 255-1398 or 279-0549 or e-mail Local75@afm.org to learn more about your discount and benefit programs.

 

------------------------------------------------------

 

2006 Music Under The Stars Schedule

 

State Capitol Building, West Steps • Free Admission

 

June 11 6:30 Oboelisk, 7:30 The Big Band Sound

June 18 6:30 Jumbies, 7:30 Des Moines Municipal Band

June 25 6:30 Objet D'art, 7:30 Des Moines Municipal Band

July 2 6:30 Veterans Dixieland Band, 7:30 Iowa Military Veterans Band

July 9 6:30 Reggie Greenlaw, 7:30 Des Moines Municipal Band

July 16 6:30 Rod Biensen Ragtime Piano, 7:30 Des Moines Municipal Band

July 23 6:30 Opus 3, 7:30 Des Moines Municipal Band

July 30 6:30 Des Moines Saxophone Quartet, 7:30 Des Moines Municipal Band

August 6 6:30 Hold On, 7:30 Ballyhoo Foxtrot Orchestra

 

------------------------------------------------------

 

New Members

 

AMY GOBLE       Clarinet                        515-961-5856

                                               agoble@usd.edu

CAROLINE MILLER Clarinet/Saxophones/Piano       515-255-1237

 

Des Moines Musicians’ Association

Local 75, American Federation of Musicians

5817 Walnut Hill Ave.

Des Moines, IA 50312